Betwixt & BETWEEN: The Story of the Old Testament

“Betwixt and BETWEEN: The Story of the Old Testament”
Message @ Jericho Ridge Community Church – Sunday, Jan 31, 2016
Text: Matthew 5:17-19 // Series: Four Small Words

In the church experience I grew up in, there was a sure-fire way to test how much you knew about the Bible. It was called a Bible sword drill. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, this was where you would gather with a group of people, each would take your Bible, hold it above your head and then an appointed leader would shout of a reference – like Habakkuk 1:17 – and pages would be flipping furiously and the first person who found it would leap up out of their seat and ready the verse out loud. Do some of you recognize the evangelical subcultural world I am describing? There were prizes – gold stars and I even remember t-shirts for the winners. Winners being the fastest. But the Bible sword drill, as fun and intriguing as it was as a game, always left me with the question: how is this actually helping me? I mean, sure, it is helping me in the sense that I’m learning to find stuff in the Bible. But I always lived with a deep sense of conviction that that was the purpose of the table of contents at the front of every Bible J. So I needed neither divine inspiration nor Bible sword drill competitions unless speedily finding something in my Bible was going to be on the heavenly entrance exam. I felt a bit like this cartoon – Perhaps I too had a misguided idea of what a Bible – sword – drill was!

Last week we began a short series that places an emphasis on growing in our understanding and application of the Bible to our lives. We stated that the goal is not simply knowing more about the Bible. Or where to find things in the Bible. Because I could know where a verse is or what it says but have absolutely no intention to live it out. This is a common malady. When it comes to the Bible, at least in North America, most Christians are educated way beyond their level of obedience. So goal isn’t more information because I could read the Bible, even daily, and yet have no intention to allow God the Holy Spirit to speak to me.

This is the “why” behind something here at Jericho that we call Life Journaling. The title is a bit misleading because if you heard that for the first time, you may think that you were being invited to write down stuff about your Life. Which is not the case. Perhaps we should change the name to SHAPE journaling I’m going to ask Meg to come up and give us an overview of it and then I’m going to ask two of you to share why you think someone else should SHAPE journal.

S.H.A.P.E. Slide (*animate it only when Meg says word) + This week’s reading

[Brad to take wireless mic to two people, thank them for sharing]

Last week I asked “could it be that when it comes to the Bible, God’s desire for you is not simply that you know more… but that you understand it more.”

But sometimes I think our understanding gets stymied or sidetracked by things like Bible sword drills. But this isn’t the greatest or most difficult barrier to understanding the Bible. Not by any stretch! Bible sword drills may have given me an ability to find things, but they didn’t give me a framework on which to hang things. Perhaps this describes your experience. Perhaps you grew up going to Sunday School (parents dragged you to church to get some religion into you). So you have a series of Bible stories you may know but you are still left with the question: “how does this fit together? How do I make sense of what I hear Sun?”

Last week, we started a short teaching series where the goal is to give you and I a simple way to understand the Bible. A framework, as it were, that allows you to take a step back and answer the question “what is the Bible all about anyways?” with the view to them being able to place a piece of it. Let’s use the analogy of a puzzle, for a minute…. We are working on putting the 4 sides in place so that you can begin to place pieces in the middle.

For that, I’m indebted to author and pastor Jarrett Stevens who wrote a little book called “Four Small Words” and he has given us permission to use that material here at Jericho Ridge. In the book, Stevens divides up the story of the Bible into 4 movements or four acts of a play, to help us understand God more and understand our part in in. The four small words sum up the content of the Bible…. Do you remember them?   What was the first word?

OF – Creation (Gen 1-2) Story of True Identity

BETWEEN – OT (Gen 3-Mal 4) Separation

WITH – Gospels (Mat 1-Acts 1) Present God

IN – NT (Acts 2-Rev 22) People Inhabited by God

Last week, we looked at Act 1 / Word 1 – OF: created in the image OF God. That this helps us define answer to life’s big questions: if God exists, what is He like? Who am I? We see at the beginning of the Bible, that your life has purpose, meaning, trajectory when you link and root your identity, both individually and for us corporately, in the truth that we are created in the image OF God. This is the wonderful truth! BUT, we also uncovered a challenging problem… That if we are made in the image OF God that God’s desire was for us not to exist as automatons. So He created us with freedom to choose. And in Genesis 3 we see that our first parents succumbed to temptation, wilfully disobeying God who had has created everything for them to enjoy and yet set a limit by specifically telling them not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But Adam and Eve are convinced that this tree stands between them and God’s best. But it turns out that wasn’t what stood between them and God…

Every religion in the world answers some foundation quesiotns: Who is God. Who I am I & why am I here? But the very next quesion is “what is wrong with the world?” Why when I turn on the news each night or sift through the rubble of my own personal brokenness, what is the problem in our world?  

The Bible gives a clear answer to this question and it comes up very quickly in the story. Listen to how we express this in our International Community of Mennonite Brethren (ICOMB) Statement of Faith:

“God, the sovereign Lord of all, created the heavens and the earth through his powerful word. God made humans, male and female, in the image of God to live in fellowship with each other and himself and to be stewards of creation. Humans abused their freedom by rebelling against God in disobedience, which resulted in alienation and death. In the rebellion against God’s rule, the evil powers of Satan, sin, and death claimed control of the world.”

This beautiful and dynamic, relational start to the story doesn’t last long, and quickly moves from the beauty of OF into something completely different. The intimacy, community and identity that Adam and Eve shared with God in Genesis 1-2 is shattered and for thousands of years, a new word would come to define the story. The word BETWEEN.  

Something has come between God and humanity. Our Canadian Confession of faith is less narrative and more didactic: “Sin and evil have gained a hold in the world, disrupting God’s purposes for the created order and alienating humans from God and therefore from creation, each other and themselves. Human sinfulness results in physical and spiritual death. Because all have sinned, all face eternal separation from God.” Romans 3:23 puts it even more succinctly “Everyone falls short of the beauty of God’s plan. Everyone has sinned”

There is something between us and God. And that something is sin. Sin is word that Christians like to use a lot but are less precise in defining. What is sin? Our confession of Faith commentary says that “Sin is any act, thought, desire, emotion, word or deed or the absence of these that displeases God.” (50). The account in Genesis 3 lays the foundation for the biblical worldview of sin and evil. God created the world and it was good. But sin and evil intruded and corrupted this good creation when Adam and Even yielded to temptation. At the beginning of the story, there was perfect unity. Perfect relationship. No division. Nothing between. But sin, by its very nature brings with it separation. [photo] Sin separates / divides. So that we might say that “between” is the major undercurrent of the rest of the Old Testament. In his book Stevens says it this way “Sin seperates, not with a single solitary line, but a million degrees of separation. Sin separates with an intensity matched only by the level of intimacy that was previously experienced in the garden. I other words, we have no idea how far we’ve fallen until we see just how close we once were” (55-56).

Now a new question enters our story: are sin and evil a fact of life to be endured OR a problem to be solved? This is the story of the Old Testament… How God takes initiative to deal with the consequences of this separation. This BETWEENess. And in the Old Testament, we have 4 major movements if you like. If “BETWEEN” is ACT 2, then this is scene 1,2,3,4.

Acts 2 – Between, Scene 1 =

1. Covenants & Commandments (Genesis 9 – Exodus 25)

God initiates covenants to establish relationship with people. These covenants and commandments articulate a vision for justice, for right living and relating to God.   God makes these covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and they are invitations for God’s people to trust His goodness based on evidence of His faithfulness.. .even in the face of their unfaithfulness. They are one of the ways God substituted His former presence with future promises. They look forward with anticipation to the forgiveness of sin coming not from the blood of animals shed as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the people, but to a perfect sacrifice that would deal with the problem of sin once and for all. Covenants and commandments were rules for living that guided everyday life with God. What Adam and Eve heard with their ears, generations would have to read with their eyes. Acts 2, scene 1 - Coven  

Then we have Act 2, Scene 2 which begins in Exodus and takes us through the book of Judges. IN this period of history, we see

2. Tabernacles, Temples & Priests (Exodus 25 - Judges 1)

Here we see another way in which God by His grace works to go between. God gives instructions for the creation of a physical space, the first physical space since Eden where He promised His presence. The priests were the means whereby the heart of God, which had been largely silent, was given voice again.

We’re beginning to see how the big picture of the Old Testament God bridging that gap, that space BETWEEN us and Him – in a burning bush for Moses, in a cloud / pillar of fire for the people of Israel in the wilderness wandering, in an elaborate system of worship in the tabernacle, and temple. Act 2, scene 2.  

In Act 2, Scene 3 we have a new set of characters enter the stage:

3. Judges & Kings (Judges 1 - II Chronicles 31)

We see so clearly here a cycle of sin and between-ness that emerges… people are close to God, they wander away from Him willfully or they drift. Then they get into trouble and they cry out “God, help us!” God graciously intervenes and provides them with deliverers, again, foreshadowing Deliverer who is coming.

That’s the judges. Then we have kings. Israel’s demand for a king was an expression of their desire for something to go between. But like so many other examples in the Old Testament, the people worshipped the thing in between rather than the God at the other end! There were 41 kings and one queen who ruled over Israel and Judah and of them, only 10 could be considered “good”. They were so desperate for a good king that it’s no wonder when Jesus came on the scene that the people tried to make him into a king. But Jesus is a King unlike any of the Old Testament rulers. He announces and establishes and rules over a new king of kingdom – an upside-down kingdom that brings heaven to earth. A kingdom that changes people not by ruling over them, but by ruling in them and transforming their very lives from the inside out. The kingdom of God.  

The Old Testament is not just filled with narratives or laws and lists. In the middle section of the OT, we have 5 books called wisdom literature – Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon – written by some of these kings and leaders, they are like the SOUL of the Old Testament. The heart felt, poetic cries that people have used for centuries as a prayer book. They express almost every human emotion imaginable, which is likely why if the Gideons choose to include something beyond the New Testament, they sometimes also sneak in Psalms and Proverbs. Great place to explore if you want to begin to dabble in the Old Testament! I know people here at Jericho who read a chapter of Proverbs that matches the date 31 chapters – and in Feb, only 29 days! Some people are adding to their project 3:45 reading plan by doing 3:45 PLUS which adds in sections of the Old Testament to their reading plan – spice it up!   

As we move into the final scene of the Old Testament, this portion actually takes us a huge chunk of real estate – one quarter of the Old Testament - and is perhaps the part of the least explored section of the Bible.

4. Prophets (Isaiah 1 - Malachi 4)

In this section, God speaks to His people through prophets. The prophets, like the judges before them, were people who stood in the gap between humanity and God. They were like mediators at the negotiation table, but by this time in history, people’s ears were clogged and their hearts were hardened. Both major and minor prophets attempted to get the attention of people and turn their hearts back to God. They had various styles, approaches and effectiveness but their message was fairly consistent: “Repent. No seriously. We mean it. Repent – turn back to God. God is not messing around!” Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah, Hosea, Malachi making plea after passionate plea for people to turn hearts back to God.

Just a teaser: here at Jericho, we’ll be jumping into a longer sermon series in the book of Isiah beginning Feb 21 called “New Day Dawning” (Because “the Force Awakens” and “A New Hope” were already trademarkedJ. There are so many messages for our lives that come to life in the pages of the prophetic books!

So there you have it. That’s the Old Testament in a nutshell. Creation, fall. Flood. Babel. Abraham. Joseph. Moses. Joshua. Judges. Kings. Prophets.

Stevens says in his book “the Old Testament tells story after story of in-betweens. It’s the story of a people on the move but never quite coming home. It’s the story of how people respond to a God who is ever present but suddenly seemingly distant. It’s the story of a God who continues to build bridges while His people continue to build walls” (56) While the Old Testament begins with such promise it ends on a much more melancholy note that punctuates the power and presence of the space that sin created BETWEEN us and God. The story of the OT begins with the words “It is good” but by the time you get to the end, you get the feeling that “all is lost”.

But a very logical question might be coming to your mind about now. The question of “If that’s their story, what in the world does the Old Testament have to do with me? Why should I bother reading or engaging with the Old Testament?”

One of the things I find fascinating is that that if you fast forward a bit till next week – Mike I promise I’m not going to preach your sermon – but if you jump ahead a bit, you have Jesus – in Matthew 5:17-19. [read].  

So if you were to ask me “why bother with the Old Testament?” one of my first responses would be what did Jesus say about it? What place did He give it? Instead of abolishing it, He elevates it! The Old Testament is the Bible that Jesus read. It’s the record of God’s revelation to his people and we stand in a long line ready to receive and obey God’s laws as revealed in the whole of the Bible. I love the way author Philip Yancey put this in his cheekily titled book on the Old Testament: “The Old Testament is not a mysterious, outdated book. It is God’s biography, the story of his passionate encounters with his people, and the prequel to the story of Jesus. It is also the Bible that Jesus read, used, and loved.”                  

This is what Jesus is driving at in Matthew 5: that the Old Testament gives us a rich depth of understanding to God’s character. That as we progress through salvation history, the revelation of God comes into clearer and clearer focus…

Recently I went to the eye doctor. They put these big contraptions over your head, right. And they flip these lenses in and out and say “which is clearer? Number 3 or number 4? 3 or 4?” I always feel pressure, like it’s a test that I am going to get the answer wrong! But what I noticed about the appointment is that there is a trajectory to it. They start with things fuzzier and as we progress, the goal is to move to a sharper and sharper image so that you can see most clearly at the end. The Old Testament is a bit like that. The revelation of God’s heart gets progressively clearer. We move through things like that sacrificial system… It is as if God asks “does this help explain both the depth of the consequences of sin?” How about when I supernaturally intervened to release my people from slavery in Egypt – did that give you a clearer picture of my heart? How about when I graciously worked with David and called him a person after my own heart even after all of his mistakes and failures? Covenants & commands; temples & priests; judges & kings; prophets… All moving us to the place where not only do

We see the problem clearly, but also see the solution coming into focus.

• Gives us clear picture of both the problem (sin) and the solution (God’s redemption plan)

This is the dynamic beauty of the Old Testament. You see your story and my story often mirrors that story and the cycle of the Old Testament. New character, new contexts, some new sins… but the same cycle. God extends himself to His people. His people respond. All is well. People desire something other than God. God’s people reject Him. God allows them to live in the consequences of their sin. God’s people are broken and cry out to Him. God extends himself to His people and they respond. All is well…. People reject God. And the cycle continues.    

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Here, friend is the Implications for your story:

Act 2 begs the question of self-examination:

• Is there anything currently BETWEEN you & God   (any sin that requires repentance?)

The Old Testament goes to great lengths to describe for us the consequences of continuing to live in spaces and places where we invite things BETWEEN us and God. Perhaps it’s a secret addiction. Perhaps its pride. Perhaps it’s the way which we ignore or disregard people who are poor. One of the things I find happens when I delve into the Old Testament is that the light shines on my own heart and I began to ask “do I do those kinds of things? Am I that kind of person?” As I begin to wrestle with the cry of Psalm 51: Create in me a clean heart. Renew a right relationship! The Bible has a word for this: Repentance.

Repentance is simply acknowledging that there is something between you and God and asking God to remove it. Maybe for you this is the first time you are hearing about the notion that SIN is not just a nuisance or if you do more good than bad things, God will overlook stuff. No. The lesson of the OT is that distance between God who is holy and untainted by sin and when you and I stand is simply far too great to be overcome on the grounds of merit. BUT there is a way to close that gap. To start vibrant life with God that begins now and goes on forever. By saying “God, I repent of my sin. I trust that what you did

Acknowledgement of need is one of the hardest things for us to do in our culture. But this is the vibrancy and potency of the OT.

There’s a second implication that the Old Testament highlights for you and I:

• Can you trust God in the BETWEEN times?  
  • Prayer team is available

The between-ness expressed in the OT, not in the sense of sin, but in the sense of distance can be alive and well in my own relationship with God today. We probably all know how it feels – that seeming distance from God. You hear God is good. But it doesn’t’ always feel that way. You pray and you hear nothing.

No matter how many things you feel you are doing right, you heart is still broken, the diagnosis comes back worse than you expected, kids rebel and run away from God. It feels like there is something BETWEEN you and God.

We are living in the time BETWEEN separation and full restoration. Mike is going to take us deeper into the story next week, we’ll learn of Jesus and how Jesus enters time and space and history as God WITH us and puts an end to that separation. BUT our story is still a story of BETWEENs.

Our deepest challenge that echoes from the pages of the Old Testament is the question “Can God be trusted?” Is He enough for me? This is where the Old Testament has potency because it tells story after story of people who having not seen, yet believed. There is a whole list of them in Hebrews 11. People who said “I choose to trust God in the times when not all is clear. In the times betwixt and between.” That might be your assignment this week – read to grow your faith. The worship team is coming and they’ll lead us in two songs of response that echo this theme and invite us to consider our need, not only for the Lord but for each other. This is why we have prayer response every week here at Jericho. Because we want to stand with and encourage each other and lift each other up in prayer to God. Mike Ryder and Meg and I will be available at the sides.

Lets’ pray together.